Giants

Giants Snap Losing Skid, Retain NL West Lead Over D-Backs

Carlos Beltran #15 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates with Pablo Sandoval #48 after scoring on a Orlando Cabrera double in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park on August 3, 2011 in San Francisco. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Giants Central

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) — Ryan Vogelsong won his career-best sixth straight decision, Orlando Cabrera hit a two-run double and drove in three runs, and the San Francisco Giants remained atop the NL West with a 8-1 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Vogelsong (9-1), the bright spot in a standout rotation this year, helped the Giants snap a five-game losing streak in which they were outscored 31-8, including a 9-0 loss Sunday at Cincinnati, and had their division lead trimmed by four games in as many days.

Carlos Beltran tripled among his three hits, scored twice and drove in a run in his best game since joining the Giants in a trade from the New York Mets last Thursday.

Beltran and Pablo Sandoval each hit RBI singles in a four-run third against Jason Marquis (8-6), who lost his Arizona debut four days after being acquired in a trade with Washington.

Marquis tossed a five-hit shutout of San Francisco on April 29, but this was Vogelsong’s day all the way.

The right-hander allowed one run on five hits, struck out seven and walked three in six innings to lower his NL-best ERA to 2.19. He also owns the lowest home ERA in the majors (1.30) and his run of 10 straight starts at AT&T Park giving up two or fewer runs is the longest such stretch by a Giants starter since Scott Garrelts did it in 12 consecutive outings from June 11, 1986, to July 16, 1989.

Vogelsong has been the Giants’ most reliable starter and hasn’t lost since May 26 against Florida. He extended his career high for victories Wednesday with a 108-pitch performance in which he withstood deep counts for much of the afternoon. Not bad for a guy who just keeps improving after showing up at spring training as a non-roster invitee, getting promoted in mid-April, then becoming an improbable All-Star at age 33.

After Zach Duke’s seventh-inning RBI single got Arizona on the board and chased Vogelsong, Guillermo Mota entered and struck out the side in both the seventh and eighth for a career high-tying six Ks.

Aubrey Huff’s single in the fifth was the fourth straight hit to start the inning off Marquis, who left after giving up 10 hits and a season-high seven earned runs. Cody Ross had a two-run double moments later to spoil Brad Ziegler’s first outing with Arizona since a trade from Oakland on Sunday.

San Francisco skipper Bruce Bochy shook up his lineup in an effort to get things going, and it worked wonders.

Andres Torres returned to the leadoff spot and center field. Beltran, slated to be the regular No. 3 hitter, batted cleanup and Sandoval moved up a spot to third. Ross drew two walks and drove in three runs in the No. 7 hole.

The Giants were outscored 11-3 in first two games of the series as Arizona moved into a tie for first in the West heading into the finale, but they denied the D-backs the chance to move into sole possession of first place for the first time since a four-day stretch atop the standings that ended June 25.

San Francisco’s losing streak matched its longest this season. Giants starters were 0-4 with a 6.51 ERA during the skid, making Vogelsong’s outing all the more important.

Sandoval put the Giants—who had gone 12 straight games without scoring more than four runs—ahead in the third with an RBI single and Beltran followed with one of his own during as sequence of four straight base hits and an RBI groundout by Cabrera off Marquis.

D-backs slugger Justin Upton struck out three times and had his 14-game hitting streak snapped.

Notes: Mota last struck out six in a game during a three-inning outing on May 29, 2003, with the Dodgers. … Giants INF Bill Hall, designated for assignment last Thursday when the club acquired Beltran, cleared waivers and accepted an assignment with Triple-A Fresno. … The Giants are 12-5 on Wednesdays. … San Francisco LHP Madison Bumgarner tries to bounce back Thursday night against the Phillies and ace Cliff Lee after lasting just four innings his last time out, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. It will be his first regular-season matchup with Philadelphia after starting Game 4 of the NL championship series vs. the Phillies and also making a relief outing in Game 6. … The Diamondbacks head home for a 10-game stay at Chase Field but get Thursday off before opening a weekend series with the Dodgers. LHP Joe Saunders starts Friday night for his second straight start vs. L.A. after beating the Dodgers on July 31. He will try for his third straight win overall. Saunders has had quality starts in eight of his last nine outings, going 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA.

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